Thomas Carlyle’s last major work is the…

Thomas Carlyle’s last major work is the epic life of Frederick the Great (1858–1865), another study of the possibilities of the great man in history.

In this, Carlyle tries to show how a heroic leader can forge a state, and help create a new moral culture for a nation.

For Carlyle, Frederick epitomizes the transition from the liberal Enlightenment ideals of the eighteenth century to a new modern culture of spiritual dynamism: embodied by Germany, its thought and its polity.

The book is most famous for its vivid, arguably very biased, portrayal of Frederick's battles, in which Carlyle communicates his vision of almost overwhelming chaos mastered by leadership of genius.

Carlyle calls the work his “Thirteen Years War” with Frederick.

In 1852, he had made his first trip to Germany to gather material, visiting the scenes of Frederick's battles and noting their topography.

He had made another trip to Germany to study battlefields in 1858.

The work comprises six volumes; the first two volumes had appeared in 1858, the third in 1862, the fourth in 1864 and the last two in 1865.

The work is studied as a textbook in the military academies of Germany.

The effort involved in the writing of the book has taken its toll on Carlyle, who has become increasingly depressed, and subject to various probably psychosomatic ailments.

Its mixed reception also contributes to Carlyle's decreased literary output.